Feminist exhibition at Instituto de Visión pairs Karen Lamassonne's photographs with Aurora Pellizzi's textiles

Instituto de Visión in Bogotá presents 'Desire Appears Suddenly', an exhibition featuring works by Karen Lamassonne and Aurora Pellizzi that explore feminist themes through body politics. Lamassonne, a New York-born artist prominent since the 1970s, contributes photographs depicting nude women in various settings, including Rainy Day Woman (1978, reprinted 2022), nel foro (1978) set in the Roman forum, Luna en Ampurias (1983) at the ancient site of Empúries, and Paris (1978) in a park. These images use nudity as a form of protest against patriarchal culture. Pellizzi, a Mexican artist, shows textile pieces such as Rising (2021), which portrays a woman's torso reflected in water, and other works like Reposada (2020), LoL (2020), and Transfiguration (2020) that focus on isolated body parts like breasts, lips, and eyes. The exhibition, running through 15 July, draws connections between the two artists' approaches, with Pellizzi's vibrant textiles contrasting Lamassonne's noirish photography. Both confront male-dominated societal norms, with the show referencing feminist film theorist Barbara Creed's concept of the 'monstrous feminine' to highlight confident female sexuality that challenges conventions. The pairing spans generations, offering a defiant rejoinder through confrontational imagery and unsettling bodily representations.